


I smile because you want to

by kiittenteeth



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Beta Read, another short drabble!, specifically written to emulate the style of the canon prologues :)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:41:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25211071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiittenteeth/pseuds/kiittenteeth
Summary: “Well, then,” she swept her silky tail, a pristine solid color, across the soft earth of the bank just beside her, an invitation Gorsefang seemed hesitant to jump to, “come sit with me.”Gorsefang remained where they stood, rigid as the great willow trunks they had climbed as an apprentice. The molly’s smile fell.“Come now, Gorsefang. Aren’t we friends? Sit.” Phrased as an invitation, but her tone read as a command. Gorsefang always followed orders.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	I smile because you want to

The chill of the upcoming season of freezing weather had become more noticeable at night; across the territory, trees have long since let their leaves fall, and now stood tall, nearly barren, with their spindly branches clawing feebly at the sky, or some drooped low towards the ground if they belong to the willow trees so commonly scattered among the landscape. With one swift movement, a golden cat leapt across a small stream that cut across the territory, connecting with the many other streams and branching rivers further away. The cat fluffed out their golden tabby coat against the frigid breeze that raced across the land in a bone-chilling gust of wind; the season was drawing to an end.

As the golden cat came to a small overhanging ridge of ground, they slowed down to a hesitant halt; further down the slope lay a river, pitch-black in the night, and just along the shore sat the familiar white coat of the creature the golden cat had been hunting for. However, despite having reached their goal, they hesitated on prowling forward, instead opting to linger by the ridge of ground for a few heartbeats, their thick tail stirring blades of grass behind them. The white figure down below the bank did not move.

Finally, they broke the thick silence of the night with a gruff clearing of their throat; the white molly twisted around in her seated spot, her lax eyes darting briefly before settling on the outline of the golden-coated cat and squinting with relaxed content.

“Gorsefang,” she addressed the cat with the golden pelt as an old friend. “What brings you out here so late at night?”

“I…” Gorsefang began before their voice died with a pathetic lingering trail in their throat; they shuffled on their large paws, broad shoulders shifting their weight uncomfortably as they tried to piece together what exactly their previous plan had been. They had never been one for words.

“To speak with me, perhaps?” said the white cat, filling in the gaps. An inviting smile twisted at the corners of her mouth.

“Yes.” 

“Well, then,” she swept her silky tail, a pristine solid color, across the soft earth of the bank just beside her, an invitation Gorsefang seemed hesitant to jump to, “come sit with me.”

Gorsefang remained where they stood, rigid as the great willow trunks they had climbed as an apprentice. The molly’s smile fell. 

“Come now, Gorsefang. Aren’t we friends? Sit.” Phrased as an invitation, but her tone read as a command. Gorsefang always followed orders. They prowled forwardly, almost cautiously, with their head lowered, before finally settling down onto their haunches beside the white molly, just out of the other cat’s reach.

“Snowthroat,” Gorsefang began, searching for their words once more. They had always been a gruff, stoic cat, straight to the point - but tonight, they dodged around their words as if facing off a particularly fast and deadly adder, poised to strike. “I saw you speaking - ah, speaking with the WindClan deputy and her seer, the other day. I have some… concerns.” 

“Concerns?” The white molly, Snowthroat, echoed gently, prompting, with her eyes now fixated intently on Gorsefang. Gorsefang could only nod tersely. 

“I, uh…” Gorsefang’s tail twitched uncomfortably. Their ears flattened before a sudden surge of emotions that had drawn them to their final decision earlier flooded them back again with a force. “I don’t know how _comfortable_ I am with you gallivanting around with a bunch of _WindClanners_ , not after what they’ve - what they’ve done. To us. RiverClan.”

“And you?” Snowthroat supplied, tipping her head ever so slightly to the side. Gorsefang visibly recoiled at her comment, the golden hairs along their broad shoulders lifting with defense as their previous skittish politeness gave way to their abrasive heart, “I’m not making this about _me_.”

“It’s fine if you are,” soothed Snowthroat, “I would be wary too, if I’d been what you’ve been through. I value your honest input, Gorsefang.”

She scooted to the side, reaching out to brush her elegant tail lightly down Gorsefang’s side, just ghosting over their flank; Gorsefang, in turn, tensed once more, ears set rigid against their head, before their countenance melted again to a mingle of easy-to-read emotions: grief, frustration, caution, alarm, _grief,_ so, so much _grief_. 

“Hey,” Snowthroat began, in the most tender voice she could muster, “do you trust me?” 

The way their green eyes, colored like the deepest forest, darted to the side to stare painfully focused at the way the inky black river flowed steadily by told Snowthroat everything. 

“There’s a big change coming. I need you to _trust_ me.” 

Gorsefang’s ears pricked up, their pupils snapping back to Snowthroat in a heartbeat. “What kind of change?”

A pause crawled its way in between the duo as Snowthroat ruminated on her answer, just for a few moments, before letting her own gaze wander to the constant movement of the river before her. 

“A change for the better, Gorsefang. I’m going to make sure these years never repeat themselves again. To put an end to this feud between our clan and her warring neighbors, to cut short the rivalry we have with WindClan over petty things from the past.” She spoke in hushed tones, in a soft, reassuring whisper a mother would give to her kit after a night of disappointments, promising of better days in the future.

“I’m going to make sure what happened to Burnetpelt never happens to anyone else again.” Gorsefang’s breath hitched in their throat.

“I’m going to make sure no one has to go through the agony you and your son had to go through.” Silence fell between the pair once more while Gorsefang struggled to regain their composure after the stabbing wound the mention of Burnetpelt’s name left in their hollow chest. Snowthroat fixed her gaze on her subordinate once more. “Doesn’t that sound good, Gorsefang?”

Their only response was a shuddering breath as they struggled to nod, gaze blearily staring up ahead towards the cold, star-littered night sky.

**Author's Note:**

> hi! this features my original characters from my wc webcomic Season Change :] just a fun little challenge to write a prologue for my series to get myself out of a stagnant funk ive been in ^w^!


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